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Clemson coach Dabo Swinney responds to religion complaint

Mandrallius Robinson, USA TODAY Sports
2:22 p.m. EDT April 23, 2014

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney reacts during the second half in the 2014 Orange Bowl college football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Sun Life Stadium.(Photo: Joshua S. Kelly, USA TODAY Sports)

Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney has responded to the letter of complaint the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent to the university on April 10 citing "constitutional concerns about how the public university's football program is entangled with religion."

According to the foundation, Swinney has promoted a culture in the program that promotes Christianity and violates constitutional guidelines of the separation of church and state as stipulated in the Establishment Clause of the first amendment.

Today, Swinney responded in a statement released by the university. He asserted that religious activity is not a requirement of his program.

"Over the past week or two, there has been a lot of discussion of my faith," . We have three rules in our program that everybody must follow: (1) players must go to class, (2) they must give a good effort and (3) they must be good citizens. It is as simple as that.

"I have recruited and coached players of many different faiths. Players of any faith or no faith at all are welcome in our program. All we require in the recruitment of any player is that he must be a great player at his position, meet the academic requirements, and have good character."

Swinney did not address the specific allegations from the FFRF directly. The foundation, a national nonprofit educational charity based in Madison, Wis., alleged that Swinney has organized religious activities for players while also acting as an official state employee.

The FFRF also alleged that Swinney hand-picked chaplain James Trapp, which violates the university's policy on team chaplains, which specifies that student athletes should select their own chaplain. The FFRF also contended that Trapp has used his office, located in the WestZone facility of Memorial Stadium, to proselytize.

The foundation has recommended the elimination of the chaplaincy position. Swinney did not address Trapp's status or the location of his office in his statement. He did not address how often he or his staff members discuss or promote their faith with current players.

Swinney did address how the topic of his faith is broached during recruiting visits with prospective athletes. The FFRF did not submit a specific complaint about Swinney's recruiting practices. However, the issue has been raised in the discussions on national television and social media sites, since the letter of complaint was first reported by The Greenville News on April 14.

"Recruiting is very personal," Swinney said. "Recruits and their families want — and deserve — to know who you are as a person, not just what kind of coach you are. I try to be a good example to others, and I work hard to live my life according to my faith."​